1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a controller for a boat propulsion system capable of estimating a cause of trouble by connecting to a service tool, and to a boat propulsion system including the controller.
2. Description of the Related Art
An operation of a shift drive unit, a throttle drive unit, a tilt operation, and a trim operation can be performed by a controller in a boat propulsion system such as an outboard motor. The tilt operation raises the outboard motor above the water by tilting it upward, for example, when the boat is stopped or when the hull is lifted onto land. The trim operation adjusts an inclination angle (a trim angle) of the hull and the outboard motor to change a running position of the hull.
A boat propulsion system is designed so that the boat propulsion system can be mounted on boats of various sizes. Therefore, when an outboard motor is raised to a maximum upward tilted position, a portion of the boat propulsion system such as a front upper section and a handle of the boat propulsion system may interfere with the hull depending on a shape of the hull of the boat. That is why a boat propulsion system with which the inclination angle can be set and a lift that is equal to or greater than the set position cannot be made (see, for example, JP-A-2003-285796). Further, there is a boat propulsion system with which previous operating data is stored, the stored operating data is read out and displayed by a service tool, and a diagnosis is performed on the basis of the displayed operating data to estimate a cause of trouble of the engine or to perform an inspection for maintenance work (see, for example, JP-A-2004-36420).
In the conventional boat propulsion system described above, previous operating data can be stored and displayed. However, there may be a case in which the boat propulsion system is removed from the boat and the engine is replaced with an engine of a fuel injection type or a new function is added. Therefore, the importance of maintenance work and a setting of the engine is increased. Accordingly, service staff may perform a trim operation and a tilt operation by connecting to a service tool. In a case like this, when a tilt limit value corresponding to an environment in which the maintenance work or the setting is performed is not predetermined, a portion of the outboard motor may interfere with the hull when it is in an upward tilted position.